DV offender paroled
SERIAL domestic violence perpetrator, Western Downs man Reece Edward Benson was let back into the community after he pleaded guilty to strangling the mother of his unborn child for 10 seconds in a drunken rage.
The Dalby District Court heard the 27-year-old had been before the courts for domestic violence offences against seven different women, including his own mother.
The court heard Benson also had five other children who he didn’t have contact with and one he had never met, the court heard.
Crown Prosecutor Matthew Le Grand said Benson was prone to acts of violence when angry and had choked the woman after she confronted him about his alcohol abuse.
Days later in October 2020, Benson put his fist through a door in a fit of rage during an argument and had been in custody ever since.
Defence barrister Frank Martin said Benson grew up in
a stable Toowoomba home, and although he’d never been involved in drugs, he did have a problem with alcohol and had been drinking on the night of the attack.
Judge Alexander Horneman-Wren SC said Benson had spent time in jail in the past for DV and had been committing the offences throughout his entire adult life.
“You have a problem with how you treat women,” he said.
“Concerningly your offending on this last occasion marks an escalation in offending against female partners.”
Judge Horneman-Wren told Benson if he had any chance at rehabilitation, he needed to re-evaluate his drinking, especially in the company of partners.
Benson pleaded guilty to choking his then partner, wilful damage, assault occasioning bodily harm, calling an approved number knowing it will be diverted to an unapproved person, giving false information, and intentionally continuing with a call to a diverted number to an unapproved person.
Judge Horneman-Wren sentenced Benson, who spent 296 days in pre-sentence custody, to two years’ jail.
He was released on parole.